10-26-12
by Storming.The.Castle
Summary: "This is the story of how I fell in love. He was amazing, and he that boyish grin that could melt your heart. Eight months later, I have come to realize that he will love me through the good, and he will love me through the bad, and nothing really could ever stop us. We were the love that could. We are the love that can." *SOKAI CENTRIC* (includes Rokunami) Warnings: Language
1. First Day and Walking Home

**A.N.- The following story contains some real events that has happened in my life, but I've twisted the story to fit it to the characters. Main pairings are Sokai, RokuNami/Namixas, and some other favorites along the way. It's AU just because there are parts of the true story I'd really like to keep, but it's not like I just took the characters and threw them into some story that takes place in modern Canada. There will be language and mature-ish content involved so don't read if you're not prepared. This is my first Kingdom Hearts story. This is 10-26-12.**

* * *

**Kairi**

I walked into Destiny High with a knot in my stomach and shaky hands. It was the first day of my sophomore year. It's not like my freshman year at DIHS was some traumatizing experience or anything or anything. In comparison, it was relatively normal. But here I was, still nervous about the new school year. _'You're being silly.' _I thought to myself before walking into the cafeteria. I spotted Selphie sitting at a table near the corner and headed over. She was sitting with Tidus and Wakka as usual, but there was also a small blonde girl I had never seen before.

"Kairi! There you are, I haven't seen you all summer!" Tidus said, giving me a hug as I sat down. Wakka nodded in agreement.

"Aye, where ya been girl?" He asked, his accent laying thick over his sentence. I was about to tell them all about my summer in Atlantica, but Selphie beat me to it.

"Didn't I tell you guys? She was out at Atlantis studying gross fish and stuff that lives in the sea. Anyway, Kairi this is Namine, she's new here. Namine, meet Kairi." Selphie said, introducing us.

"Oh really, I never would've guessed she was new." I said sarcastically, earning a laugh from Tidus and Wakka and a small giggle from Namine. "Well, it's nice to meet you Namine." I said, giving her a warm smile. She gave me a shy one in return before her eyes darted to the door.

"Who's that?" She blurted, pointing to where she was looking. I looked over my shoulder to see the one and only Sora Heart walking into the cafeteria like he owned the place. He had his cousin, Roxas Heart on his left, and his best friend, Riku Traverse, on his right. But Namine wasn't pointing at Sora, she was pointing at Roxas.

Then, it happened. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, like we were watching some 90's chick flick. Roxas was saying something to Sora when he started looking around the cafeteria, and his eyes landed on Namine. He stopped mid-sentence and froze in his tracks. All of the chatter of the cafe immediately muted. Namine just squeaked and lowered her hand, her cheeks flooding with a bright red color. Their eyes held their stares for a good 5 seconds more before Roxas just smiled and walked over to where his friends had taken a seat. The people in the cafeteria resumed their conversations as we all tried to register what just happened.

"Damn, I was expecting a light to appear and a gospel choir to start singing, talk about major let downs." Hayner said as he, Olette, and Pence sat down at our table.

"Wait... you guys, like, noticed?" She asked, the blush returning to her cheeks.

"Are you kidding? Even Ms. Larxene noticed." Olette said, pointing to the bitter English teacher in the corner who had, in fact, been watching the display. "I mean, that was Roxas Heart. Like, **THE **Roxas Heart! You know, the best player on the basketball team? Not to mention the cutest player on that team. And, he's one of the hottest guys on the island!" Oletten said, looking over at the blond basketball prodigy.

"Ahem, loving boyfriend of Olette Mayfair, sitting right here?" Hayner said, We all laughed as Olette pecked him on the cheek.

"Oh, you know I love you Hayner. I was just... explaining the... um, importance of that moment and why everybody was staring. I mean, she's obviously new if she doesn't know who Roxas is." Olette said. Her boyfriend just shook his head, but smiled regardless and wrapped his arm around her.

"Roxas..." Namine said quietly to herself, smiling. I smiled for her. Don't judge me for having a heart. What girl wouldn't want that moment?!

"Ok, that's sweet, love at first sight and all, woo, but we **cannot** just ignore the fact that Sora Heart just walked in!"

"Here we go again..." I mumbled under my breath.

"That spiky haired hottie broke my heart this summer!" I couldn't help but tune Selphie out because I had already heard the devastating love story more than 18 times already, and despite the fact that Selphie somehow manages to make the story even more dramatic every time she tells it, the story gets old really fast. It's your classic high school romance gone wrong. Girls falls for guy, guy finds someone new and dumps girl, said girl is heartbroken. And don't get me wrong, Selphie is my best friend, but she tends to over-exaggerate. Breaks up are never this hard for her, it takes about a day to mourn. For Selphie, this mourning day consists of a carton of sea salt ice cream, The Notebook, and a good cry while bashing her ex. After that, she's back to her peppy cheerleader self and she's onto the next guy.

I guess I should explain the whole story. Well, you see, at the end of last school year, in honor of Principal Ansem's retirement, our school took a four day trip to Twilight Town. It started out as a fun trip. Selphie, Olette and I ran around the whole town having so much fun on our first day. However, the trip took a turn for the worst on the first night when who had to walk up to the group and introduce himself, saying we looked like we were having so much fun and he wanted to join in? Sora Heart, that's who. And Selphie was head over heels from the first word that came out of his mouth. The next three days consisted of Olette ditching us for Hayner, Selphie trying to get with Sora, and on top of all that, Selphie and Sora trying to hook me up with Riku. By the flight home, Sora and Selphie were holding hands, Hayner kept trying to make out with Olette every 10 minutes, and I had gently turned Riku down.

Going back to the break-up... it was kind of predictable. The relationship of "Sorphie" crashed and burned in about a month. All it took was a text with five little words in it.

"I'm breaking up with you! Over text! And on our one month anniversary! How could he do that?" I was snapped back into reality by Selphie's enthralling description of the break-up. I was really surprised she hadn't gotten over it yet, but before I could give it a second thought the bell rang, officially starting the first day of school. I groaned and stood up, following the herd of students into the crowded halls. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Namine.

"Oh, hey Namine." I said as we walked towards the sophomore lockers.

"Hi. So, I have a question for you." She said timidly as I came up to my new locker, Locker X-331.

"Let me guess, it's about Roxas?" I asked. She nodded shyly as I laughed. "Don't worry about it, I won't give you a hard time like the guys. Ask away." I said, grabbing a notebook and following her to her locker.

"Well, is he really as popular as that girl with the pigtails said?"

"Sorta. He's kind of a big deal around here, but he's not big headed like most people in his position. Basically, his ego is small enough to fit in a box and he's not shallow and conceited if that's what you're asking." I said, smirking as she turned a shade of pink.

"Um... is he like Sora?" She asked, closing her locker and turning to me. I shook my head and relief washed over her features.

"Nope. He's not a jerk. They **are **cousins, but they act more like best friends." I explained. "Say, uh, what do you have first period?" I asked, looking down at my new schedule.

"English with Ms. Larxene, why?" She asked.

"Me too. Perfect. I'll tell you everything you need to know about Destiny High and the Heart cousins." I said as we got to the classroom. "But one thing I am 110% sure about is that Roxas has never looked at a girl the way he looked at you. Ever." I said before walking in and taking a seat. I had a feeling Namine and I would be good friends.

* * *

I had thankfully survived the day with a manageable schedule. My teachers were nice, my classmates were tolerable, and I even had Namine in a few of my classes. But it had come to the last period of the day, the class I'd been dreading all day. I had Mr. Strife for World Studies. It was a college prep level course, but the way "Cloudy" taught it, it might as well have been an Advanced Placement course. He was rumored to be a pretty tough teacher and at least one kid failed his class each year. When Tidus had come out of his class after 4th period, the only words of advice he had were "Good luck".

I took a deep breath and stepped into the class. The first thing I noticed was how different this classroom was compared to all the others. The walls were covered in Murals and Greek symbols you would find in the Olympus Coliseum. The desks weren't in the standard "rows and columns" formation, but instead there were three different rows shaped like a "U" curving into the chalkboard. In addition to all that, there were little things all over the room that looked like they came from different worlds!

I quietly took a seat on the far side of the room in the middle row, trying to get a good look at the people in my class, and in doing so, I regretted opting out of AP World because the people in my class were so dim they probably still couldn't tell their lefts from their rights. I'll use Seifer as an example. Seifer is 18 and a senior. He's supposed to be graduating this summer, but given the fact that he was sitting in a sophomore CP class, I doubted that would be happening.

I sighed as the bell rang and Mr Strife stood in front of the class. "You might have heard other students talk about me. My name is Mr. Strife, and feel free to call me Mr. S and whatnot, but I will not tolerate the nickname of 'Cloudy' which some students have called me in the past. Moving on, this is a college prep level course. However, you kids have interpreted CP as 'easy'... this class is not easy. The only difference between CP and AP is that we go slower. We cover just about the same amount of material, and effort will not only be **expected** of you, but **required**.

"Now, moving on, I have traveled the worlds and been to many places. As you can tell, my classroom is a bit out of the ordinary. Well that is because my teaching is a bit out of the ordinary. I cannot stand standardized testing. If you took a monkey, a fish, and a hippo and told them all to climb the tree or they'd fail, I know for a fact only the monkey would pass. The hippo and the fish would spend their lives thinking they failed the test so they aren't smart. I teach by doing. I teach by lecturing. Scribbling down notes word for word off the chalkboard won't help 90% of you absorb the information. You might walk in one day and I'll decide to go on a nature walk to compare our world to the deep jungle, or I might be teaching you cultural dances of Agrabah.

"One last thing... if you arrive before the bell, feel free to socialize, make yourself at home, you may even eat a snack if you choose to bring one in. But once the bell rings, I expect to have you in your assigned seats, ready to learn." The class voiced their displeasure with a groan. "I know, I know, but this is only temporary. Now here are your assigned seats." Mr. Strife rambled through the list and chose a random name and pointed to a seat.

"Kairi White." He said, pointing to a desk in the center of the middle row. I grabbed my notebook and moved down the row to my new seat. I didn't mind the seating, even if I had to sit next to ViVi. Actually, Mr. Strife wasn't half as bad as I thought he was going to be. I was actually kind of excited to be in the class. Ok, I'm a dork, judge me for it. I just love the different worlds and the cultures in them. I spent so much time in Atlantica over the summer on a student program and it was amazing to be among the sea life.

I started to doodle in my notebook when Mr Strife pointed to the empty seat beside me. "Sora Heart." He said. My eyes widened and I resisted the urge to look for the boy.

"Present." I looked back to the door to find a certain breathless spiky haired boy standing in the doorway, a bright pink pass in his hand. He handed it to Mr. Strife as he walked in. "Sorry Mr. S, I was in the office."

"Well you missed my ground-moving introduction." He said, chuckling. "I'm sure Ms. Kairi can reiterate the key points, please take your seat next to her." He said before continuing with the list.

"So, what'd I miss?" He asked as he plopped into the seat.

"Uh, he just explained the um, course." I said quickly, trying not to stumble over my words.

"Oh so I guess nothing." He said, giving me that boyish grin he was so known for. The next thing I knew, he was facing Seifer, talking about the first blitzball game of the season which was only four days away. This was to my relief, giving me time for my heartbeat to regulate and my thoughts to untangle. Ok, ok, I confess. Even I, Kairi White, have a thing for the charming brunette. It all started on the trip to Twilight Town last year. From the minute he gave me that boyish grin and pulled out my chair for me, I couldn't help but like him. I hinted this to Selphie, and the next thing I knew, she was all over him and trying to hook me up with Riku, saying she "just knew we'd make the cutest couple". It's not like I had forgotten about Sora over the summer, I just realized I was being stupid.

Sora was wanted by every girl on the island to some degree. Nobody could resist him. He had spiky chestnut hair, bright cerulean eyes, and most of all, that charm he had and that goofy grin. That smile of his is what really makes the girls fall for him. It was just so perfect. I'm 90% sure the first thing people think of when they hear "Sora Heart" is that smile. In addition to all of that, Sora was a star on the blitzball field at only a sophomore. And **that **was what really put him over the top.

If there was one fault Sora had that was quite obvious to any average person, it was that he was the biggest player on the island. He surpassed Leon, and that was pretty hard to do. I didn't know Sora on say, a friendship level, but even I knew the list of his exes was endless.

And besides, this was Sora Heart. Why would a guy like him ever like a girl like me?

The remainder of World Studies went by slowly. The bell finally rang, officially ending the first school day of the year. I made my way to my locker to find Namine standing there.

"Hey what's up Namine?"

"Oh, uh well I was wondering if you wanted to hang out? I mean, I'm kind of the new girl so I don't know many people." She said shyly. I smiled and nodded as I got all that I needed and shut my locker.

"Of course! What are friends for?" I said. She smiled and laughed. "Come on, I know this great ice cream shop right by the beach."

* * *

We talked all the way to the "Daily Freeze", telling each other about ourselves and our first day of school. It turns out we had some stuff in common. I could tell we were gonna be really good friends. We walked up to the serving window and ordered. Namine got the bubblegum ice and I got a cherry dip. We took a seat at one of the benches.

"Ok, I'm pretty sure I've got it down. You're friends with Tidus, Wakka, Hayner, Olette, and Pence, but Selphie is your best friend? Even after what she did to you in Twilight Town with Sora?" I nodded. "No offense, but she just..."

"Annoys you?" I finished for her with a laugh.

"I'm sorry, but yes. Ha, she isn't even nice." She said as we both laughed. I just nodded because I understood.

"Trust me, I know. Most people don't exactly find her to be a Susie Sweetheart either. Don;t worry about it. I just grew up with her, you know? It was always the four of us, Wakka, Tidus, Selphie and me."

"Namine?" A voice said from behind us. We both looked over our shoulders to see Roxas standing there.

"Oh, hi Roxas." Namine said, standing on her feet. "What're you up to?" She asked. I just looked down at my feet and shook my head. This was just way too good to be true.

"Yo dude, you just ran off! You owe me 10 munny!" I recognized that voice. I looked behind me again to see Sora jogging over with two ice cream cones in his hand. "Oh, hey there Kairi... and um... blond chick?"

"It's Namine. Nice to meet you." She said to Sora before turning back to Roxas... WAIT.

"Wait a second... how do you know her?" I asked Roxas, pointing to Namine. She hadn't said a thing about meeting him.

"We're lab partners Kairi. Chemistry with Mr. Merlin, second period." Roxas said. Namine just shot me the look saying 'I forgot' and I did the slight nod. See what I mean? We were already getting that best friend telepathy. "So um, Namine... may I walk you home?"Roxas asked. I watched as her cheeks turned pink and she looked over at me as if for permission. I just nodded. If there's a chance for romance, you can't vagina block your BFF. Girl code.

"Sure. I'll see you later Kairi!" Namine called as she headed down the sidewalk with Roxas. I smiled as they started a conversation. They both looked happy and I knew it wouldn't be long before they went out.

"So now you make me pay **and **you ditch me for a girl?! What kind of cousin are you!?" Sora yelled after them. I just rolled my eyes. However, my eye roll was interrupted mid roll when Sora plopped down next to me on the bench.

"You like cherry dip too?" He asked, licking his own replica of the creamy treat I held in my own hand. I just nodded. "That's cool. It's always been my favorite." He said. I would just like to add another well known fact about Sora. He never shuts up. Ever.

"That's great. Well, I'll see you tomorrow." I said, getting up to my feet and turning back towards the school.

"You're not gonna ditch me too, are you?" I turned around to see Sora looking up at me, pulling the puppy dog eyes. _'Remember Kairi, he does this to every girl.' _I reminded myself .

"Come on Sora, do you even know my last name?" I asked. He stayed silent for a while and I had my answer. "That's what I thought." I said with a scoff as I turned away.

"White. It's White. Your best friend is Selphie. And, you stole my favorite baseball cap in Twilight Town, which, by the way, you never gave back." I was shocked to say the least and turned around (yet again) to see that Sora had that stupid smile on his face. He got to his feet and walked up to me.

"I'm sorry, I'll make sure to bring it to school and give it to you tomorrow. Now it's gonna get dark soon so I should really get going." I said, starting to walk back towards the school. I was a little embarrassed I had been so quick to judge and snap at him.

"I have a better idea." Sora said, running in front of me. "How about I walk you home, that way I get my hat back now, and you have a bodyguard to protect you from the big bad guys." He said. I couldn't help but giggle.

"Right, because there are big bad guys on the island." I joked and I started walking again. "Besides, don't you have some clown faced Barbie doll look alike to walk home?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, running up beside me. I guess it wouldn't hurt to have him walk me home... Besides, this boy does not give up very easily.

"Well, you're kind of a big player." I pointed out.

"Come on, that's not true."

"Really? Well then, how long has your longest relationship been?" I asked him.

"2 months." He said rather proudly. I let out a little laugh that wiped the smile right off his face. "Ok then, how long has yours been since 2 months is nothing to you. 2 months is a long time" He said.

"Try 2 years then get back to me." I said giggling as his mouth just dropped and his eyes practically bulged out of his head.

"Wow... ok I'll hand it to you, that's much longer than 2 months." He said and we both laughed.

"Ok, now does Roxas like Namine?" I asked. He just chuckled.

"Did you even have to ask?" He said, which made us both laughed. I was starting to feel really comfortable around Sora and I barely knew him. After that a silence settled over us, but it wasn't one of this awkward silences. It was just... natural.

"You know, I'm glad I'm sitting next to you in World Studies. I didn't really know anyone other than Seifer, and well... it's Seifer." He said, breaking the silence. I looked over at him and found his bright blue eyes looking right back.

"Technically, we don't really know each other." I pointed out.

"Yes we do. You're Kairi, and well, I'm pretty sure that you know I'm Sora." He said cockily.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I** am **one of the best blitzball players in the whole school." I just couldn't believe his conceitedness. Well, I could, but you know what I mean. I found it quite _rude_. "And let's be honest, it doesn't hurt that I'm not too bad on the looks." He said, looking at me with that boyish grin and jokingly winking at me.

"Wow Sora, I've never met someone so humble." I said sarcastically.

"Well I try." He said and I couldn't help but roll my eyes in annoyance. Ok, **this **is not the Sora that I'm comfortable with, **this **is the Sora that I'd like to punch. "You know there are a ton of studies that prove people that brag about themselves and talk about themselves so highly use it as a defense mechanism, not to mention it's rather arrogant." I explained.

"Well, well, don't you have quite the vocabulary." He said smugly.

"Well I try." I said, mocking him from earlier.

"But, Miss Little Know It All, I believe that's _bullying. _Not being awesome." He said and I rolled my eyes. Thankfully, he decided to change the subject before I kicked him in the shin. "Anyway, we kind of do know each other Kairi. We hung out every day in Twilight Town."

"No. **You **hung out with **Selphie. **I was just there because Selphie wanted to play cupid for Riku and me. There's a difference."

"We were still in a group of four, so I'm technically right. But there's one thing I never got about the trip. Why did you turn Riku down?" Ok, now that got my attention.

"What do you mean? I didn't like Riku."

"Yeah you did."

"No, I didn't. Just because you guys wanted me to like him, it didn't mean I actually had to like him."

"But Selphie told me you really liked him!" Sora yelled. I stopped walking, trying to process this minor detail I was never informed about. Selphie has stooped low before, and I've questioned the authenticity of our friendship for it, but this was just stabbing me in the back with a machete. So not girl code.

"Well Selphie lied." I said bitterly as I continued down the street.

"Wait, but she's your best friend... why would she do that?" He asked. And honestly, I had to ask myself that question too. Before Twilight Town, Selphie and Sora had about 5 classes together! They had definitely spoken before, and Selphie always said that he was cute but she never went to her full out Selphie stalker mode... so why did that all change when **I **liked him?

"Honestly Sora... I'm really not sure about that."

"About why she did it, or about the fact that she's your best friend? Well, supposedly."

"Both." After that, another silence settled again, but it definitely wasn't the comfortable kind, it was the awkward kind.

"So um... not to sound stalker-ish, but where do you live?" He asked nervously, scratching the back of his neck and looking down at me. _'That must be his cute nervous habit... KAIRI do NOT think like that... Oh my gosh he's gonna think I'm stupid if I don't answer his question... Why haven't I answered his question!'_

"Um, right there." I said, pointing to my house which was just down the street.

"Oh cool... so about Riku... he's still crazy about you." Sora said as we approached my house. We made our way up the porch steps and into my 'humble abode'.

"Yeah, I know. And I feel bad about it, but you really can't just pick a guy and tell yourself to like him, you know?" I said. He just nodded in understanding and glanced around my living room. "Well, I'll be right back." I said before I dashed up the stairs and into my bedroom. His hat was sitting there on my dresser, in the same place it's been for the past three months or so. It was all black and it had the letters "DI" on it, over-lapping each other. It stood for "Destiny Islands" and I assumed it was from some Little League or something). I quickly grabbed it and rushed back downstairs to see him looking at a picture of me and my mother from many years ago.

My mother passed away when I was 8 years old. Not many people on the islands knew because they'd either forgotten over the years, or they never had the chance to meet her. But there were the few who remembered and still gave me the sad smile in the local grocery store.

I cleared my throat, letting him know I was in the room. He turned around and pointed at the picture. "Is that you and your mom?" He asked. I just nodded, not trusting my voice. "Wow, you look just like her. Same hair and everything..." He said, looking back at the picture. A wave of sadness crashed over me as I saw which picture it was. It was taken when I was about 3. I had short hair and we were on the beach and we had the biggest smiles I'd ever seen. It was a good picture of a good mother from a good time. I just pushed the sadness back and made a mental note to take it back out later. Sora wasn't stupid, he's know something was wrong if I didn't and I just wasn't ready to say those words again.

I walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, handing him the hat as he turned around. He just handed it right back to me. "I don't want it. You keep it." He said, grinning as he made his way to the door.

"Well wasn't it the point of walking me home?" I asked as I followed him. He just shook his head and jumped off the porch onto the sidewalk. He turned around with that smile of his still in place.

"Nope. It was the excuse."

"You'd better get going, it's getting dark." I said, pointing towards the sunset. He nodded.

"Especially since I've gotta get to Sunset Blvd." He said, taking off running the way we had came.

"You live on Sunset?! Ok, you **really **didn't have a good reason to walk me home then!" I yelled after him.

"Yes I did! I wanted to!" And with that he rounded a corner and disappeared into the dusk, leaving me to reflect on everything that had just happened in the past hour. I sighed as I trudged my way back up to my room and I placed the cap in it's rightful place on my desk as I fell face first onto my bed, burying my face into a big fluffy pillow, hoping if I smothered it, this stupid smile on my face would go away. I sighed and turned onto my back, knowing my efforts were hopeless.

_'Maybe he really is c__hanging.'_

* * *

**In the Next Chapter of 10-26-12:**

_"I can't believe she did that to you!"_

_"How come I never get a happy ending like that Kairi?"_

_"There's no doubt about it, he likes you too."_

_"Player 26 is down on the field."_

_"You're growing up to be just like her. The grace and dignity, even the red hair."_

* * *

**A.N.- So, that was the first chapter of 10-26-12, let me know how you like it in a review:) I hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. Playing Cupid and Blitzball

**A.N.- Here are some little notes to clarify. Pence is in 9th grade. Sora, Namine, Kairi, Selphie, Hayner, Olette, and Tidus are in 10th grade. Roxas and Wakka are in 11th. And, Seifer and Riku are a seniors. It's based off of the average American public school system. And future characters introduced, I'll tell you which grade they're in if you so wish. Here's chapter 2. Enjoy. Oh, and big shout ****out to Peachie-Pie for being the first reviewer!:)**

* * *

The next morning I was standing in the quad with Namine talking about everything that had happened last night after she left.

"You're joking, right? You have to be kidding me." I said. She just laughed and shook her head.

"I'm being totally serious right now. That's how it happened. He walked me home and my mother invited him to stay for dinner. I was so embarrassed. She was just like 'Oh Roxas, do you like the food? Do you need more water? Do you want to date my daughter?' It was just so mortifying." She said, her cheeks turning red just thinking back on last night's events.

"Well did your parents at least like him?" I asked, trying to shed a better light on the situation.

"Yeah, they loved him. He was so charming and polite, he even helped clear the table." Namine gushed as though Roxas were some storybook Prince Charming. Roxas was known for being respectful and having more class than your average guy around the island, but that was exactly it. **He was still a guy. **And for me, guys suck. They either break your heart or you break theirs. Relationships are just messy business. "I'm just glad he's like a polar opposite of Sora." Namine pulled me out of my internal rant.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? Sora's not that bad, he's... he's actually kind of sweet." I said, immediately regretting opening my big mouth. I hadn't exactly told Namine my part of last night and I really wasn't planning to. She raised an eyebrow at me and I knew it was coming.

"Did something happen between you two last night?" Crap. There it is.

"Um... no. Nothing really. He just walked me home..." I said trying to be nonchalant about it.

"Tell me all about it." And I did. I told her everything. From the beginning when he sat down next to me on the bench, to the end where he lived across town yet still walked me home (I left out the mom part obviously). I even told her what Selphie told Sora. See, that's the thing about me. I'm usually good at hiding my crushes and stuff, but when somebody figures it out, I spill everything. And I mean **everything**.

"I can't believe she did that to you!" She said at the end of it. I nodded. I really couldn't believe it either. But now, that whole trip actually made sense. It was the final piece of the puzzle.

"I know, right? She's done some pretty low things before but she has never deliberately betrayed me like this." I explained.

"Well at least now you can't deny that you like him."

"What? That's so not true, where did you get that from?"

"There's proof! You liked him in May, you kept the hat, you're even defending him now." She said. The bell gods must've chose to save my ass because not a second later, the school bell rang. _'Wow, saved by the bell.' _I thought as I went to walk away. "Kairi?" I turned back around to face my petite new friend. "I think it's great that you like him, but don;t forget about his reputation, okay?" I can hear her sincerity and concern and I just nodded and smiled.

"Don't worry. I won't be another notch in his belt." And with that I walked into the school and headed to my locker. That is, until I was interrupted by Roxas of all people.

"Hey Kairi, you got a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?" I asked as I went ahead and opened my locker.

"Well, I know that Namine is here, but as far as I can tell you guys are friends, right?"

"Correct."

"Well I was just wondering if you could help me out?"

"Why do you need my help? I'm not stupid, I know you and your cousin have a way with girls. Hell, you boys are like snake charmers when it comes down to it. You whisper something in their ear and you can have them dancing every which way. You don't need my help." I said as I shut my locker and walked away. That was an exaggeration, I'll admit it, but just wait for it.

"Namine's different than the other girls!" Bingo. That's what I wanted to hear. I turned back around and walked to him.

"Good, now that's what I wanted to hear. I'm not gonna tell you every little thing she said or be your puppeteer, but I will help you win her over. Deal?" I asked putting my hand out to shake on it. Roxas just looked at it warily.

"How do I know she actually likes me and you're not trying to make me look stupid?"

"Oh, that's easy. You use the thing between your ears. It's pink and squishy, it's called your brain, have you heard of it?" I said sarcastically, earning a glare from him. "Take it easy Spiky, I'm joking. Come on, it's obvious, total infatuation at first sight and all. Trust me." I guess something I said got through to his senses because he shook my hand.

"Meet me in the courtyard before lunch!" Roxas said before running off somewhere. I just hurried to my English class hoping I wasn't going to be late.

The next four periods went by rather quickly and before I knew it, it was time for lunch. I grabbed my lunch from my locker and headed to the courtyard to see Roxas pacing back and forth. He saw me walk in and ran over to me.

"Oh my God, I'm not sure what to do. I want to go past the awkward flirting but I don't wanna freak her out and ask her out after like 2 conversation. Kairi what do i do, whaddoido!?" This was definitely his panic meltdown mode.

"Ok dude, you need to chill. Deep breaths, alright? Now let me think of your options here... if I were you I'd talk to her. You know, find some things you have in common. For example, she loves art."

"Yeah, I already knew that."

"Well, what else do you know?"

"Not much, just that she grew up in Traverse Town and she's always wanted to get out and see the worlds." He said.

"Well find out more. But make sure you don't do the whole "friends first" approach." I explained.

"What? I thought friends first would be a safe move!"

"There are some risks! She may think you're not into her, or worse, you might get stuck in the friend-zone for good. Just talk to her a lot, find a connection, and ask her out at the blitzball game on Friday night. I'll make sue she's going. This is the best option you have. It shows you're interested in her but that you're just trying to find a starting point. She'll realize it and agree and you guys can figure out the rest." He seemed to have calmed down as I explained it all to him better and he was thinking it through.

"Thanks again Kairi. I'll make this up to you, I promise." He said before he ran off. I just laughed and started to make my way to the cafeteria. I was kind of nervous though. It'd be the first time since yesterday that I'd see Selphie and at the moment I wasn't exactly her biggest fan.

I guess the Gods had enough of saving my butt in one day because the only seat at our table was on the end, right next to Selphie. I sighed and walked over and sat down. I really didn't have a choice and I wasn't going to be immature about it. So I sat down next to her. Selphie was so deep into her conversation with Olette that she didn't even notice me. Of course, wherever Olette is concerned, so is Hayner. Therefore, it only took a total of two minutes until the conversation went down the drain and Hayner stole his girlfriend's attention- and her lips.

"Aw, look how happy they are. How come I never get a happy ending like that Kairi?" And I kid you not, those were Selphie's first words to me. Not even a 'Oh hello Kairi, me me me me.' Nope. She just asked a really stupid question. There were a lot of right answers to that question too. 'Because boys are too stupid to see what's right in front of them. They take you for granted. They don't know what they're missing. The right one just hasn't come along yet.'

"Maybe it's because you're a two-faced bitch Selph." That wasn't one of them. I got up and left the cafeteria, not even leaving a second to see her reaction. I threw my lunch out and just walked into the hall.

I'm not a hateful person. Really, I mean it. I just couldn't help it. I didn't even feel the words coming out of my mouth until the damage was done. Selphie has done a lot to jeopardize or friendship, and I've somehow always found it in my heart to forgive her. Even when she turned me and Yuffie against each other. Even when she told me to my face that Yuna was just prettier. And, even when she laughed at me along with everybody else in our 8th grade gym class when I tripped over a soccer ball and landed right on my face. But this just did it. She can have Tidus and Wakka, she can pit them against me. But one person she can't turn against me is Namine, and that's all that matters.

Yeah, over all, Selphie's done a lot of damage. But ruining any chance I even had with Sora that day was the last straw.

"Hey Kairi!" Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

"Oh, hi Sora."

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." I said, putting a smile on. I really didn't want to explain any of this to him.

"Ok... well whatever it is, I think I have something to cheer you up." He said, jumping in front of me with that Cheshire cat grin of his. "You're going to the blitzball game on Friday, right?"

"Unfortunately, I probably am. Why?"

"Wear my hat." It sounded like a demand instead of a request.

"And why would I do that? It's a blitzball game." I said, not understanding his logic. He just kept that smile on his face and shook his head.

"Just wear it, trust me." Trust me. Those two words asked for a lot. But before I could rebut he was gone. I guess not only were the Heart cousins major charmers, but apparently they had a habit of running off. The school bell rang, giving me somewhere to be and something to occupy my mind from wandering to Selphie and Sora. I just sighed and headed to maths with Mr. Axel. It was my least favorite class just because Mr. Axel was so easy to get off topic, and everybody took advantage of that. Literally, all you have to do is say something about cats and by the end of the class he'll be talking about flamethrowers.

* * *

Namine had come to my house after school that day. We were sitting on my couch eating brownies and taking turns venting to each other.

"So who are these Yuna and Yuffie people?" Namine asked. I was telling her about all the things Selphie had done to me over the years.

"They went to our school a few years back, I think two or three. Yuna was very pretty and very popular. Selphie kept trying to be her friend but Yuna wanted nothing to do with her. Yuna ended up moving to Hollow Bastion about a year or two ago. Yuffie was awesome. We were really good friends, and somehow Selphie got us to pit against each other. Yuffie moved last year, before I got to say goodbye. I'm not really sure where she is, I wish I knew." I explained. Namine just nodded. "So, I ran into Sora today." I said, moving into action with Plan G.N.T.G.T.B.G (Get Namine to go to Blitzball Game).

"Really? What'd he say?"

"He wants me to go to the blitzball game on Friday."

"That's sweet, maybe he wants support."

"Oh, he gets a ton of support from his fans already, I'm surprised they don;t have a club! Haha, but he also asked me to wear his hat. Well, he didn;t even ask really. He just kind of told me to."

"That's weird. So are you going with any of your friends?" She asked.

"What friends." I said as I shoveled a brownie into my mouth. She just giggled as I had a hard time chewing and swallowing the chocolate chunk.

"I'll go with you if you want?" She said happily, scooping some ice cream into her mouth. BAM! Fell for it just like a baby gazelle in my big lion claws! (These brownies are completely normal. They're not "special brownies". I just get a little hyperactive with too much sugar)

"That's great! I heard Roxas is gonna be there, we might bump into him."

"He's so cute." Namine said dreamily. I just laughed and she gave me a look. "But he's too dreamy." She said.

"Oh come on, that's so not true." I protested.

"He's dreamy and golden! I'm pasty and pale! We don't go together!" Namine said and I burst out laughing at her analogy.

"Has he talked to you?" I asked. _'Be cool. Be stealthy. Be inconspicuous. Be secretive. Yeah, I can see it. Secret Agent Kairi, savior of the worlds, reporting for duty your majesty. What's that? You need my help to save the world from darkness? Well by golly with the magic invested in me, I shall save all the inhabitants of-'._

"Kairi! What are you doing?" I looked around and realized I was standing on the island in my kitchen with a wooden spoon in my hand. I just gave her one look before we both started laughing. It took me a while to catch my breath, but even then Namine still had tears in her eyes from laughing to hard.

"Well, to answer your question from before you went all daydreamy, yes. He has. He's really sweet. We actually have more in common than you'd think." She said, rolling off the couch and onto the rug. "I just hope he likes me back." She said worriedly as she walked into the kitchen where I was sitting on the counter.

"There's no doubt about it, he likes you too."

"Now does Secret Agent Kairi need a kick-ass sidekick to help her save the worlds?!" Namine said, grabbing a spatula before she jumped on top of the couch. I gave her a fake-horrified look before we started laughing and giggling all over again. Yeah, we were definitely going to be awesome best friends.

* * *

The week passed quickly and before I knew it, it was Friday night and I was sitting on the bleachers in the blitzball arena. **(A.N.- Heads up I know nothing about blitzball so no specifics, please don't criticize, I just, I don't know, sorry)**

I was wearing the hat just like Sora had told me too and I was wearing a bright green T-shirt to show support. After all, green and white were our school colors. The game was very interesting. Sora, Riku, Leon, Seifier, and two other guys who I couldn't make out were representing our team. Leon was playing as goal keeper, Seifer was on defense, and Riku and Sora were amazing on offense. We were already in the lead and the game had just begun. I was sitting next to Namine who refused to wear green because it made her look even more "pasty" as she liked to describe her pale skintone. I started to look around for Roxas in the stadium, but all I could see was a sea of green and white. Amongst them were a whole bunch of girls, anywhere from juniors to freshmen wearing white T shirts with a big green 26 on their back. It was obvious who they were here for.

"I'm gonna go get a drink, I'll be right back." I said as I got up and made my way to the concession stand. I ordered a paopu fruit smoothie, and while I was waiting for my delicious blended beverage, Roxas walked over from His Majesty knows where.

"Hey, is Namine here?" He asked as Ms. Aerith (the music teacher) handed me my smoothie. I nodded as I sipped and pointed to our seats.

"Come sit with us. I wouldn't ask her right away, just spend some time with her. I'll find an excuse to leave you two alone by halftime." I said. He nodded and turned back to me about to say something but he froze. He pointed up to my head and asked

"Who gave you that?"

"Sora. Well, he technically didn't give it to me. You see, in Twilight Town, I took it, and I never gave it back. Hey, he had his chance to take it back when he walked me home Monday."

"He walked you home?" Roxas asked, sounding shocked by his cousin's actions. I just nodded cautiously. "Wow. But why are you wearing the hat?"

"Sora told me to." I said as I walked up the bleacher stairs.

"You do know that just about everybody here knows that's his hat, right? And you do know he's never let anybody wear that hat, not even me?" Roxas asked. I stopped short and turned around to look at him.

"What?!"

"He must really like you if he gave you that hat." Roxas said with a stupid little smirk. I just gave him a dirty look but followed him up to where our seats where. However, the whole background of the hat finally gave me an explanation of all the looks I was getting.

The first part of the game went by quickly and we managed to keep a steady lead. The game was getting really boring though considering we were doing great and Namine in Roxas were in their own little bubble world. I was basically sitting here all alone watching us score. And score. And score. And score. _'Why isn't this game more exciting? I thought this game was exciting. I really wish this game would throw a curve ball here and there'. _

I guess I should be careful what I wish for because in a split second, a player was down. He wasn't playing, he wasn't even moving, he was just there. There was a shrill whistle and the player turned over so I could read the number on his back. My stomach leapt into my throat when I did so.

**"Player 26 is down." **And that sent us all into panic. The school trainers rushed on to the field, the clock was stopped, the girls were all worried and standing up now, and the crowd was pretty much silent. Roxas looked kind of worried, and kind of constipated. I guess he was trying to keep the concern from showing but all that did was make him look stupid.

Finally Sora was pulled out and he was put onto a stretcher thing to be taken for examination by the head athletic trainer. Most of the crowd went back to watching the game, but Namine, Roxas and I kept our eyes on Sora.

Sora pointed up towards us and one of the trainers came up to us. Roxas stood up to follow the trainer, but the trainer pointed at me.

"The player wants to see you." He said. Roxas looked shocked. The trainer turned to Roxas and said "He told me to tell you to chill, the Heart cousins aren't.. well, he's rather vulgar... he said y'all aren't a bunch of pussies." The trainer said before walking down the steps. I burst out laughing as Roxas' cheeks turned red and Namine tried to contain her laughter. I followed the trainer down only to see that Sora wasn't anywhere in sight. Instead, we kept walking towards the field house. We walked in and took a right, a left, and another left and there I saw a shirtless Sora with sweaty hair and his eyes closed on a table. Another trainer, a girl one this time, was poking and prodding at him.

"It's not too serious. Nothing is broken or fractured. You might have a bruised rib so take it easy these next few days. However, you have a sprained ankle and you almost tore a tendon in your right wrist. Be more careful out there son. I'll let you and your girlfriend have a few minutes before we wrap you up. We have to discuss your time out for the season as well." After that they both left and Sora opened one eye and peeked out at me.

"So you did wear the hat." He said smugly. And I'll tell you this right now, only Sora Heart can have a sprained ankle and a bruised rib and still have that boyish grin on his face. He chuckled but immediately stopped and clutched his torso. I took a washcloth from the cart in the room and ran it under the sink with cold water. I walked back over to him and laid it over his forehead to help cool him off. "Hey Kairi?"

"Yeah?" This time he opened both of his eyes. He had this messy, sweaty, spiky chestnut hair, a gleam of mischief mixed with pain in his cyan eyes, and that damn smirk on his face that I knew he was faking, but I had never been more attracted to him in my life.

"Thanks." He said, sending me that perfect smile. I just smiled as he closed his eyes again and I ran my hand through his hair. That was the moment that I let myself acknowledge the fact that I had feelings for Sora Heart.

* * *

I walked through the door to see my dad passed out on the couch with the TV on, a sweaty forehead, and a thick wool blanket draped over him for some odd reason. I just smiled. I wasn't happy with it. I was just used to it. I nudged him a few times before his bright blue eyes shot wide open. They were bloodshot and dilated as hell. He must've been sleeping for a while.

"It's time for bed dad. Go upstairs. I'll clean up down here." I said as I took the blanket off of him. He sat up and put his face in his hands, rubbing it to keep himself awake. He groaned and stood on his feet before he walked over to the kitchen.

Our kitchen is a time capsule. It has pictures on the fridge and every cabinet in the room. They range from my mother, to my mother and I, my mother and my father, and my father and I. There were even a few with the three of us. It was nice to keep them up. Sometimes it was nice to remember. It was nice to pretend things are like they used to be.

My father walked over to where I was standing. It was a picture of the three of us. I was no older than 7 and I had short, choppy red hair and a toothy smile and bright blue innocent eyes that didn't know of death. My mother looked as elegant as ever, as always, with a perfectly coiffed bob of bright red hair like mine and deep brown eyes that just seeped with beauty. My father had his bright blue eyes and they had a spark of that love and happiness he used to have. And it was a happy time.

I'm not saying life is bad now. Life is good. But life is not the way it should be. And life is a lot harder than it would be. Life is not the same as it was, nor will it ever be again. I loved my father, he was all that I had now. He was smart. But he missed her. I did too. It was really hard not to. You think about her everyday. You just do, and there's always pain. You just deal with it better eventually. I felt my dad wrap an arm around my shoulder as I let a tear escape.

"You're growing up to be just like her. The grace and dignity, even the red hair. I'm proud of you Kairi." My father said. I sniffled and nodded.

"I know Dad. I love you." I said.

"I love you too. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." My dad trudged up the stairs and into his room. He'd be out like a light in five minutes, no doubt.

My family is good. My life is good. But you have to understand... once you lose the glue in your family, it will never feel the same again. Things will always be good. But you know they used to be great.

* * *

**In the Next Chapter of 10-26-12:**

_"Her favorite color was yellow."_

_"Save me a dance?"_

_"I know what you told Sora."_

_"Daddy, there's a boy."_

_"Kairi, you know how I owe you one?"_

* * *

**A.N.- Yep, so that was Chapter 2, let me know how you liked it in a review:) The next chapter is very... dramatic, as you can tell. So follow or something because you really don't wanna miss it. BTW- Yuna is in 10th, Yuffie is in 11th. They'll be involved more later:) Anyways, review, thanks:)**


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